Helen Rotary supports multi-use trail development

Dennis Doll and Phil Irish of the Rotary Club of Helen, left, are shown with Kathy Wood of SORBA and Jerry Brown, director of the Alpine Helen/White County Convention & Visitors Bureau.

HELEN - The Rotary Club of Helen has presented a $500 check to Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association (SORBA), Northeast Georgia Chapter. This contribution begins the funding to build 20 miles of natural-surface trail as part of the 1,000-acre outdoor recreation area planned by the White County Commission.

White County has leased property from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources with the stipulation that the county create a multi-use recreational playground on this land. This is the former Outdoor Therapeutic Program property, which is about 1,000 acres and includes a 53-acre lake.

SORBA representative Kathy Wood, in her presentation to the Rotary Club of Helen, said SORBA is the trail user group that presented to the county commission a design for a multi-use natural surface recreational trail system that will accommodate other land usage, such as ballfields, disc golf, fishing, etc.

"Such a trail system means to build trails that are all-purpose, trails that appeal to a broad range of user groups - sustainable natural surface trails, intended for non-motorized use," Wood said.

According to Wood, White County has a remarkable opportunity to turn this idle land into a state-of-the-art, multi-use outdoor recreation area to serve citizens and visitors for decades to come.